Iran's embassy reopens in Saudi Arabia for first time in 7 years

A ceremony was held within the embassy's compound with dozens of diplomats and officials attending the reopening of the diplomatic mission for the first time in seven years.

"We consider today an important day in the relation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Alireza Bikdeli said.

"The region will move, Inshallah (God willing), towards greater cooperation and convergence to achieve stability prosperity and progress," Bikdeli added in a speech during the ceremony.

In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed, in a deal brokered by China, to end a diplomatic rift and re-establish relations following years of hostility that had endangered regional stability including in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon. The deal also highlighted China's growing influence in the Middle East.

Sunni Saudi Arabia severed relations with Shi'ite Iran following the storming of its embassy in Tehran in 2016 after a dispute over the execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.

The relationship had begun worsening a year earlier after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen's war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement had ousted a Saudi-backed government and taken over the capital Sanaa.

The kingdom has also blamed the Islamic Republic for missile and drone attacks on its oil facilities in 2019 as well as attacks on tankers in Gulf waters. Iran denied the charges.

"Diplomacy is the best mean for communication and dialogue between countries to reach a common understanding," Bikdeli said.

Reuters